“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion, and serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire — Jude cites Sodom and Gomorrah as a second historical instance of divine judgment, associating the false teachers' licentiousness with the cities' sexual depravity and consequent destruction. The phrase 'serve as an example' (deigma, 'display') suggests that their punishment functions pedagogically for the community, demonstrating the serious consequences of covenant-breaking and lawlessness. The reference to 'eternal fire' (aionion pyr) echoes Jewish eschatology and suggests that judgment extends beyond temporal destruction into the age to come.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
OH
Omar HassanNote1mo agoUnderstanding grace - Jude 1
I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the same God who spoke these words is the same yesterday, today, and f...
1
AM
Alice MorganNote1mo agoThe heart of worship - Jude 1
The imagery here is agricultural - the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting. God is faithful in every circumstance. Faith isn't the absen...
1
YT
Yuki TanakaNote1mo agoThe beauty of holiness - Jude 1
This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character. God is faithful in every circumstance. God is faithful in every circums...
1